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By
Jack Moore

Employee satisfaction across the federal government is sagging, according to the 2012 Employee Viewpoint Survey released
by the Office of Personnel Management Wednesday.

While there weren't any drastic drops, scores governmentwide were down in every major measure, including
employees' satisfaction with their jobs, supervisors and pay.

OPM Director John Berry, in a message appended to the survey results, said "stresses on public servants" were
clearly affecting employee satisfaction.

In the report outlining the survey results, OPM suggested that the "continued tight budgets, salary freezes
and general public opinion of federal service are beginning to take a toll on even the most committed
employees," but noted that strong majorities of federal employees continue to like the work they do and find
it important.

More than 687,000 federal workers responded to the survey, which was sent to 1.6 million employees
— more than double the number of responses received last year. OPM said its goal, unlike in previous
years, was to reach every permanent civilian employee. The agency had previously
targeted about a third of the federal workforce.

Pay frustrations at heart of lower satisfaction

Employee satisfaction scores — what OPM deems the global satisfaction index — are derived
from four factors: satisfaction with employees' jobs, agencies and pay, as well as how likely they are to
recommend their organization as a good place to work.

The key driver in the lower satisfaction scores was a four-point drop in satisfaction with pay, which hit 59
percent — the lowest level since 2004. Federal employees are now entering their third year of a pay
freeze supported by the White House and many congressional leaders.

Scores in the remaining three categories also dipped.

Individual job satisfaction and satisfaction with an employee's agency both dropped three points, to 68
percent and 59 percent, respectively. The percentage of employees recommending their agency as a good
place to work dropped two points to 67 percent.

Just 54 percent of respondents said they have a high level of respect for their organization's senior leaders,
down three points from 2011.

Meanwhile, 43 percent of employees said their agency's leaders "generate high levels of motivation and
commitment," down from 45 percent last year. Finally, 43 percent of employees said they were satisfied with
the policies and practices of senior leaders, down three percentage points from 2011.

OPM suggested given the low satisfaction results, a dimmer view of management was not altogether
unexpected.

"Considering what federal employees have weathered over the past survey administrations, and continue to
weather in this evolving climate, declines in leadership results are not surprising," the report stated. "Now
more than ever, the leadership support of the federal workforce is of critical importance."

Despite the declines in those areas, nearly two-thirds of employees report that managers effectively
communicate the goals and priorities of the agency and work well with employees of different backgrounds,
OPM noted.

OPM says feds' are 'resilent'

Even with the lower satisfaction levels overall, federal employees still feel the work they do is important
— and they like doing it, according to the survey.

"The federal workforce remains resilient — hardworking, motivated and mission-focused even amidst
the many challenges facing government today," OPM characterized the results.

Eighty percent of respondents said they like the work they do and understand how it relates to their agency's
mission. Another 90 percent of federal employees said the work they do is valuable and are continuing to
seek out ways to do their jobs better.

Telework increasing

The increasing number of employees taking advantage of teleworking options, under the auspices of the
2010 Telework Enhancement Act, was another bright spot in the survey.

According to the latest survey, one-third of employees were notified they were eligible to telework last year
(up from one-fourth last year) and nearly a quarter of federal employees reported teleworking at some point
in 2012.

Individual agencies reported even greater progress. More than 80 percent of employees at the General
Services Administration and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation reported teleworking in some form,
according to the survey.